Stephen Edward Fritz, Ph.D., 76, of Loudon, Tennessee, passed away on Monday, November 15, 2021 at Parkwest Hospital in Knoxville, Tennessee with members of his family by his side. Dr. Fritz was born in Bellville, Illinois on November 3, 1945, and was raised in Freeburg, Illinois by his parents, Lester Fritz, the former mayor of Freeburg and Violet (Virgin) Fritz, a former teacher at Freeburg High School. He had one older sister, Janice Fritz. Dr. Fritz graduated from Freeburg High School in 1963 where he met his beloved wife, Patricia (Pat) Surber. They were married on August 27, 1966 and have two sons, Andrew and Alexander.
Steve felt his greatest success and accomplishments in life were his two sons who he and Pat raised to become an attorney and doctor who continue to touch people’s lives and give back to society in amazing ways. His four grandsons brought him such joy and pride. He loves watching them in all their academic and athletic accomplishments. Mentioning their names brought the biggest smile to his face. Steve was a huge sports fan and loved watching all teams especially the TTU Red Raiders and Tennessee Volunteers. His hobby was reading scholarly works and academic research. He and the love of his life, Pat, were devoted to each other and their family.
Dr. Fritz earned his Ph.D. at the University of Kentucky (1972) and his M.A. from Southern Illinois University, (1968), both in British History. His B.S. degree was awarded, Magna Cum Laude, from Murray State University (1966) in History and English. He also conducted post-doctoral work in British Foreign and Imperial Policy and Diplomacy at the Exeter College and the Queen’s College at Oxford University, England from 1976-78. Dr. Fritz’s expertise on the topic of David Lloyd George, a former British prime minister, led to numerous publications and presentations.
Dr. Fritz had a long and distinguished career in the field of higher education with more than four decades of leadership at both private and public universities across the United States. Over the course of his career, he served at eight colleges and universities in eight states, where his forte was described as “addressing and successfully leading colleges through extreme challenges and issues.”
He began his career in academia in 1970 at Pikeville College, Pikeville, Kentucky, where he held a variety of positions including Vice President for Academic Affairs, Chairman of the Division of Social Science, Director of Graduate Studies, and Professor of History. In 1984, he was appointed executive vice president and dean of North Carolina Wesleyan College, Rocky Mount, North Carolina, before becoming president in 1986. From there, he served as president at Hiwassee College, Madisonville, Tennessee, for eight years before applying his strengths in fiscal management and endowment growth to a new career path as an investment executive for PaineWebber in Knoxville, Tennessee. Four years later, he returned to higher education as provost and then president of Goddard College, Plainfield, Vermont before making the move to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 2003 where his leadership was instrumental in the development of the School of Arts and Science at Point Park University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and where he served as the dean over its five departments. Dr. Fritz was then selected to serve as president at New England College in Henniker, New Hampshire in 2005 before becoming president of Midland Lutheran College in Fremont, Nebraska in 2007. At Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas, Dr. Fritz served as the Dean of the Honors College beginning in 2010 before accepting a position on campus as Director of Development for the National Ranching Heritage Center and the Museum at Texas Tech University in 2014. In his final higher education position, he served as the provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of Wisconsin in Green Bay in 2015. In addition to all of his leadership roles in higher education, Dr. Fritz served on the Air University Board of Visitors, United States Air Force, Maxwell AFB, Alabama from 2006 to 2013.
He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Patricia; his two sons, Andrew (Laura) and their two sons, Dylan and Ian from Las Vegas, NV, and Alexander (Sarah) and their two sons, Brandon and Evan from Verona WI; and his mother-in-law, Louise Surber from Freeburg, IL. He is also survived by several cousins, Jeffrey (Marsha) Hacker, Donna (Russ) Schmidt, Carol (Gary) Wilbur and Linda Tarrent. He is preceded in death by his parents, Lester and Violet Fritz, his sister, Janice L. Fritz, and his father-in-law, Donald Surber.
A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, December 4, at 11:00 a.m. at Lakeview Funeral Home, 5000 North Illinois Street, Fairview Heights, Illinois, followed by interment at Lake View Memorial Gardens. Visitation will be Friday, December 3rd from 4-6 P.M. and at 10:00 A.M. on the morning of the service.
A luncheon will follow at the funeral home. Memorial contributions can be made to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library (https://donate.imaginationlibrary.com) or Hope for the Warrior (https://www.hopeforthewarriors.org)
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